building

Abstract

The present invention provides a building with a mechanism that promotes the drying of objects in an open atrium space, while remaining inconspicuous when the objects are not being dried. [Solution] A building according to one embodiment of the present invention is a house H having an open space F, comprising a holding unit arranged in the open space F for holding an object to be dried L in a suspended state, and a blowing unit 6 having a rotating body 12, which blows air toward the holding unit by rotating the rotating body 12. The blowing unit 6 is movable between a working position in which the rotating body 12 can rotate within the open space F and a retracted position adjacent to the wall surface where the rotating body 12 is arranged along the wall surface surrounding the open space F.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a building, and particularly to a building having a through space.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, buildings having facilities for drying laundry in a through space have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a building having a through space penetrating from the first floor to the attic, and in the through space, a drying pole that can be raised and lowered from the first floor to the attic. In this building, laundry is hung on the drying pole on the first floor of the through space, the drying pole is raised to the attic, and a mechanism for efficiently drying the laundry is proposed using a roof through which sunlight penetrates and a ventilation fan attached to the roof. Further, in the above through space, in order to make the laundry dried in the attic less visible, a cover that can be opened and closed is provided between the attic and the living space.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when trying to provide the above drying space and facilities in the attic, there is a problem that the labor and cost burden are very large. Furthermore, even if a clothesline is installed in an open space within a living area, the laundry hung on it will not dry easily with sunlight entering through the window alone. Also, in a building with an open space directly above the living room, if, for example, an unexpected guest arrives and is ushered into the living room, the guest may see the laundry hanging on the clothesline. While it is possible to consider measures such as hanging a screen to block the view of the laundry in the open space, this would impair the ventilation and sense of openness of the open space. Additionally, when drying laundry in an open space, it is possible to place equipment to accelerate drying within the space, but when laundry is not being dried, the presence of such equipment would reduce the sense of openness in the open space.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a building with a mechanism that promotes the drying of objects to be dried in an open space, while being inconspicuous when the objects to be dried are not being dried. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above problems are solved by the present invention, which provides a building having an open space, comprising a holding unit located within the open space for holding objects to be dried in a suspended state, and a blowing unit having a rotating body that blows air toward the holding unit by rotating the rotating body, wherein the blowing unit is configured to be movable between a working position in which the rotating body can rotate within the open space and a retracted position adjacent to the wall surface surrounding the open space.

[0007] In the building of the present invention configured as described above, the air blower unit can efficiently dry the objects to be dried in the open space. When the objects to be dried are not being dried, the air blower unit can be moved to a less conspicuous location indoors.

[0008] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned building, it is preferable that when the ventilation unit is in the retracted position, a part of the ventilation unit is folded, and when the ventilation unit is in the operational position, a part of the ventilation unit is extended. According to the above configuration, the air blower unit can be made less conspicuous when not in use indoors, and when the air blower unit is in use, the items to be dried can be dried more efficiently.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned building, it is more preferable that the holding part includes a rod and a mechanism for moving the rod up and down. With the above configuration, the process of hanging items to be dried from the poles and removing and retrieving them can be carried out smoothly in the lower part of the open space. In addition, the items hung on the poles can be dried efficiently in the upper part of the open space.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned building, it is more preferable that the rotating body is positioned below the shaft when the air blower is in use. According to the above configuration, the objects being dried suspended from the pole can be made less visible from below the open space above.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned building, it is more preferable that the atrium space is adjacent to a light-gathering opening in the exterior wall of the building, and that the rotating body is made of a reflective material. With the above configuration, even when using a rotating structure in an open space, light can easily reach the space below the rotating structure. Furthermore, the items being dried suspended from the rod can be more effectively obscured from view.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned building, it is even more preferable that the rotating body is rotatable about a rotation axis along the vertical direction when the blower is in use. According to the above configuration, indoor air can be efficiently circulated in the open space. This allows air to be directed at the items to be dried, enabling more effective and faster drying. Furthermore, because both hot and cold air can be circulated efficiently, the effectiveness of the air conditioner can be improved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, a building is equipped with a mechanism to promote the drying of objects in an open space, and when the objects to be dried are not being dried, the mechanism can be made less conspicuous. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1A] This figure shows the floor plan of the first floor of a building according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] This figure shows the floor plan of the second floor of a building according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the installation of a holding unit and a blower unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram schematically shows a blower unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a side view and (b) is a top view. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view showing the wing deployment operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows a control mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This diagram schematically illustrates the operation of the holding unit and the blowing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the state when the object to be dried is suspended from the rod in the lower part of the open space, (b) shows the state when the rod with the object to be dried suspended moves to the upper part of the open space, (c) shows the state when the blowing unit moves from the retracted position to the operating position, and (d) shows the state when the folded blades in the blowing unit unfold and the rotating member rotates. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] <<Regarding a building according to an embodiment of the present invention>> Hereinafter, a building according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the embodiments described below are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist. Also, it is needless to say that equivalents of the present invention are included.

[0016] In the drawings, for the sake of easy understanding of the explanation, each member is illustrated in a somewhat simplified and schematic manner. Also, the sizes (dimensions) of each member shown in the drawings and the intervals between members are different from the actual ones. Also, unless otherwise specified, the positions, orientations, and postures of each member described below are the positions, orientations, and postures when each member is in use. Also, in this specification, "horizontal", "vertical", "orthogonal", and "parallel" include the ranges of errors generally allowed in the technical field of the present invention, and also include states where there is a deviation within a range less than several degrees (for example, 2 to 3°) from strict horizontal, vertical, orthogonal, and parallel.

[0017] In the building of the present invention, it is used for the purpose of promoting the drying of laundry when drying laundry indoors and making the laundry being dried indoors less visible. In the following description, a house will be cited as an example of a building. However, the building of the present invention only needs to have a void space and the laundry can be dried in the void space, that is, any building in which indoor drying is possible, and it may be a building other than a house.

[0018] The building according to this embodiment is a house (hereinafter, house H) having a plurality of floors. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, it is a two-story house. The number of floors of house H only needs to be 2 or more, and it can be any number.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the house H has an open atrium space F that spans the first and second floors. The open atrium space F is located above the living room, dining room, and kitchen (LDK) space. In addition, an opening for natural light (a light-gathering opening), specifically an exterior window W1, is provided in the exterior wall adjacent to the open atrium space F, more specifically in the exterior wall located on the second floor.

[0020] House H has a structure suitable for drying clothes indoors, specifically, the upper space S1 located on the second floor of the open space F allows for indoor drying. On the second floor, a workspace or counter (storage shelf) C may be provided along the low wall D that separates the open space F from the living room, or along the interior window W2.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the house H comprises a pole body 2, a moving mechanism 4 for moving the pole body 2 up and down, and a fan 6 that blows air toward the object L to be dried. The pole body 2 and the moving mechanism 4 constitute the "holding part" of the present invention, and are placed in the open space F of the house H to hold items to be dried, such as laundry, in a suspended state on the pole body 2.

[0022] The pole body 2 is a long, cylindrical rod-shaped body extending in a predetermined direction, and as shown in Figure 2, it is used to hang laundry and other items to be dried L in the upper space S1 of the open space F inside the house H. Here, the items to be dried L include washed clothes (laundry) and other items that need to be dried (for example, items that have gotten wet unintentionally).

[0023] The length of the rod 2 is not particularly limited, but it is preferably a length suitable for use in the open space F. The material of the rod 2 is also not particularly limited and may be made of, for example, resin, metal, wood, or fiber material.

[0024] House H is equipped with a weight sensor 26 that appropriately detects the weight of the pole 2, and a position sensor 28 that appropriately detects the height of the pole 2 from the first-floor surface. These sensors output signals according to the weight of the object L to be dried that is hung on the pole 2, and the height of the pole 2 from the first-floor surface.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the moving mechanism 4 consists of a lifting wire 8 and a winding machine 10 located within the open space F, and moves the rod 2 up and down within the open space F. Specifically, a remote control 30 for operating the moving mechanism 4 is provided at a predetermined location in the house H, for example, in the space on the first floor of the open space F (hereinafter referred to as the lower space S2). When this remote control 30 is operated by a resident of the house H, the lifting wire 8 is wound up or unwound by the winding machine 10 in response to the operation. As a result, the rod 2, to which the tip of the lifting wire 8 is fixed, moves up and down. The remote control 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can operate the raising and lowering of the pole body 2; a lever or operating switch may also be used.

[0026] Fan 6 corresponds to the "air blowing section" of the present invention and, as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), comprises a plurality of (eight in the illustration) blades 12, a rotating member 14 that holds the blades 12, a receiving tray 16 on which the rotating member 14 rests, an arm 18, and a control unit 19 that controls the movement of fan 6. It is fixed to a wall adjacent to the open space F, specifically to the second-floor 7, and is configured to blow air towards the object to be dried L suspended from the rod 2 in the open space F by rotating the blades 12.

[0027] The blade 12 corresponds to the "rotating body" of the present invention and is composed of a frame 20 and a cloth 22 attached to the frame 20. The frame 20 forms the outer edge portion of the blade 12 and is configured to hold (tighten) the fabric 22 without slack. The frame 20 can be made of resin, metal, wood, or strong fiber material, etc.

[0028] The shape of the frame 20 is not particularly limited, as long as the base end portion 23 of the frame 20 can be moved and held within the slit 24 provided in the rotating member 14, which will be described later. For example, a shape equivalent to the outer edge of a known blade used in ceiling fans or wind deflector fans for ceiling-mounted air conditioners can be used. The base end 23 is connected to the rotating member 14 in a manner that allows it to rotate in the vertical and circumferential directions. Furthermore, the base end 23 of each blade 12 is connected to the rotating member 14 by a vertical rotation axis that rotates the blade 12 90 degrees in the vertical direction, and a circumferential rotation axis that is perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis and rotates in the circumferential direction.

[0029] The length of the long side of the frame 20 is not particularly limited, as long as it is long enough so that the rotating member 14 with the wings 12 extended fits within the open space F, and so as to conceal the object to be dried L suspended from the rod 2 above the open space F, making it difficult to see from below, as shown in Figure 3(b).

[0030] The material of the fabric 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is a fabric that does not allow the inside to be seen from the outside through the fabric 22, but it is preferable that it is a material that has reflectivity so that it can reflect light outwards while also letting some light into the inside. Specifically, it is preferable that it is a mirror lace curtain that allows sunlight and indoor light entering from the lower space S2 of the open space F to enter, while making it difficult to see the drying items L hanging in the upper space S1 from below, and that is well-ventilated.

[0031] The rotating member 14 is made of a spherical member and is the part that holds the blades 12, and a cross-shaped slit 24 is formed on its surface. Of the cross-shaped slits 24, one slit extends through two poles on the spherical rotating member 14, and the other slit extends perpendicular to the other slit. The base end 23 of each blade 12 is housed within the slit 24 in a state that it can move along the slit 24. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, a drive unit (hereinafter referred to as the blade drive unit 32) is provided to drive the rotating member 14. The blade drive unit 32 rotates the base end portion 23 of each blade 12 in the vertical and circumferential directions to fold or unfold the fan 6 having multiple blades 12.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3(a), the blade drive unit 32 is configured to move the blades 12, which are stacked on top of each other at the upper end of the slit 24 with the same pivot axis as the fulcrum (in other words, the fan 6 with multiple blades 12 is folded), into a state where the blades 12 are successively opened by rotating the frame 20 of each blade vertically, as shown in Figure 4, and then rotate each frame 20 circumferentially from the upper end within the slit 24. Then, as shown in Figure 3(b), the blade drive unit 32 is configured to move the blades 12 to a state where they are spread out radially (in other words, the fan 6 with multiple blades 12 is unfolded). Conversely, the blade drive unit 32 can also move the fan 6 with multiple blades 12 from the unfolded state to the folded state. The "folded state of the fan 6 having multiple blades 12" described above corresponds to the "folded state of a part of the air blowing section" in the present invention, and the "unfolded state of the fan 6 having multiple blades 12" described above corresponds to the "unfolded state of a part of the air blowing section." Furthermore, the blade drive unit 32 is equipped with a motor (not shown) which serves as a power source to rotate the blades 12 as described above.

[0033] Furthermore, the lower end of the rotating member 14 is rotatably connected to the receiving tray 16 via a connecting shaft 15. The connecting shaft 15 is a rotating shaft that is connected to the rotating member 14 at its upper end and to the rotary drive unit 34 housed inside the receiving tray 16 at its lower end, and rotates integrally with the rotating member 14. As a result, when the fan 6 is in the operating position, the rotation of the connecting shaft 15 allows the rotating member 14 to rotate around the connecting shaft 15, which is aligned vertically. Furthermore, the rotary drive unit 34 is equipped with a motor (not shown) which serves as a power source to rotate the connecting shaft 15 as described above.

[0034] The arm portion 18 has a part at one end that holds the blades 12 and the rotating member 14 via a receiving tray 16. The arm portion 18 is configured to be movable in the open space F between a position in which the blades 12 can rotate (operating position), as shown in Figures 6(c) and (d), and a retracted position adjacent to the wall surface surrounding the open space F, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b). Specifically, a recessed space is formed in a part of the wall surface surrounding the open space F, and when the fan 6 is in the retracted position, the arm portion 18 is stored in the recessed space, and when the fan 6 is in the operating position, the stored arm portion 18 extends from the recessed space toward the open space F. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, an arm drive unit 36 ​​is provided that moves the arm 18 forward and backward within the recessed space.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 19 controls the winding machine 10 to wind up or unwind the lifting wire 8 to which the pole 2 is fixed, based on the user's lifting and lowering operation information of the pole 2 received from the remote control 30. Furthermore, the control unit 19 receives information indicating the weight of the rod 2 detected by the weight sensor 26 (weight information) and information indicating the position of the rod 2 detected by the position sensor 28 (position information), along with information on the user's raising and lowering operation of the rod 2. The control unit 19 then controls the drive of the blade drive unit 32, the rotation drive unit 34, and the arm drive unit 36, respectively, according to this received information. Specifically, when the rod 2 on which the object to be dried L is hung is near the second-floor ceiling, the control unit 19 controls the blade drive unit 32, the rotation drive unit 34, and the arm drive unit 36 ​​so that the blades 12 are positioned below the rod 2.

[0036] For example, when a resident of house H, who is a user, hangs an item to be dried L on the pole 2 to dry, they use the remote control 30 to lower the pole 2, which is located near the second-floor ceiling and does not have an item to be dried L hanging from it, to the first floor. The control unit 19 then operates the winding machine 10 to lower the pole 2, which is located near the second-floor ceiling, to the first floor, as shown in Figure 6(a). The user then hangs the item to be dried L on the lowered pole 2 and uses the remote control 30 again to raise the pole 2 back up near the second-floor ceiling, as shown in Figure 6(b). The control unit 19 operates the winding machine 10 in response to the user's operation information to raise the pole 2. At this time, the weight sensor 26 on the pole 2 detects the weight of the pole 2 with the item to be dried L hanging from it and outputs the weight information of the pole 2 to the control unit 19. Furthermore, the position sensor 28 detects the height of the pole body 2 from the first-floor surface and outputs the position information of the pole body 2 to the control unit 19.

[0037] The control unit 19 determines whether or not an object to be dried L is hanging on the rod 2 based on the weight information of the rod 2 received from the weight sensor 26. It also determines whether or not the rod 2, which is determined to have an object to be dried L hanging on it, is located at a predetermined distance or more above the height of the fan 6, which is stored in advance, based on the position information of the rod 2 received from the position sensor 28.

[0038] When the control unit 19 determines that the object to be dried L is hung on the rod 2 and that the rod 2 is at a position higher than a predetermined distance from the fan 6, the control unit 19 controls the arm drive unit 36 ​​to extend the arm 18 out of the recessed space in the wall and move it into the open space F, as shown in Figure 6(c), and moves the blades 12 and the rotating member 14 from the retracted position to the operating position.

[0039] Once the arm portion 18 has moved into the open space F, the control unit 19 controls the blade drive unit 32 to unfold the fan 6 and spread the blades 12 radially, as shown in Figure 6(d). Once unfolding is complete, the control unit 19 controls the rotation drive unit 34 to rotate the rotating member 14 that holds the blades 12.

[0040] When a user operates the remote control 30 to lower the pole 2 located near the ceiling of the second floor in order to take in the dried material L, the control unit 19 stops the rotation of the rotating member 14 via the rotary drive unit 34, etc., folds the fan 6 and places the blades 12 on the upper end of the rotating member 14, stores the arm 18 in the recessed space in the wall, and moves the fan 6 towards the wall. Once the fan 6 has finished moving towards the wall, the control unit 19 activates the winding machine 10 to lower the pole 2 to the living room on the first floor.

[0041] After the user removes the object to be dried L from the rod 2, they use the remote control 30 to raise the rod 2 to near the second-floor ceiling. The control unit 19 then operates the winding machine 10 in accordance with the operation information to raise the rod 2. At this point, the weight sensor 26 of the rod 2 detects the weight of the rod 2, and the position sensor 28 detects the height of the rod 2 from the first-floor surface. The weight and position information of the rod 2 are then output to the control unit 19. When the control unit 19 determines from the weight of the rod 2 that the object to be dried L is not suspended from the rod 2, it completes the drying process for the object to be dried L. Furthermore, even when the object L to be dried is not being dried, the fan 6 can be used independently by the user through operation of the remote control 30 or the like.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, a fan 6 having blades 12 covered with a fabric that allows for good ventilation and is difficult to see from below is positioned below the object L to be dried suspended from the pole 2 and rotated. This diffuses the air in the open space F, making it easier to dry the object L to be dried, while at the same time drawing in light from the light-gathering opening above the open space F, making it difficult to see the object L to be dried suspended above from below in the living room or other areas. Furthermore, when the object L to be dried is not being dried, the fan 6 can be folded and moved to the wall, making the fan 6 less conspicuous.

[0043] Although one embodiment relating to the building of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 2 Rod body (holding part) 4 Moving mechanism (holding part) 6. Fan (air blower) 7. Second floor 8. Lifting wire 10 Winding machine 12 blades (rotating body) 14 Rotating member 15 Connecting shaft 16. Drip tray 18 Arm 19 Control Unit 20 Frame 22 Cloth 23 Proximal end 24 slits 26 Weight Sensor 28 Position Sensor 30 Remote Controls 32 Blade drive unit 34 Rotary drive unit 36 Arm drive unit F Open space H Housing W1 Exterior window W2 Interior Window L Material to be dried C Counter (storage shelf) D Wainscoting S1 Upper Space S2 Lower Space

Claims

1. A building with an open atrium space, A holding unit is provided within the aforementioned open space to hold the object to be dried in a suspended state, It comprises a rotating body and a blowing unit that blows air toward the holding part by rotating the rotating body, The aforementioned air blower is a building in which the rotating body is movable between a working position in which it can rotate within the open space and a retracted position adjacent to the wall surface surrounding the open space.

2. When the blower unit is in the retracted position, a part of the blower unit is folded. The building according to claim 1, wherein when the air blower is in the operating position, a part of the air blower is in an extended state.

3. The building according to claim 1, wherein the holding part includes a rod and a moving mechanism for moving the rod up and down.

4. The building according to claim 3, wherein when the blower is in the operating position, the rotating body is positioned below the shaft.

5. The aforementioned open space is adjacent to a light-gathering opening provided in the exterior wall of the building, The building according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is made of a reflective material.

6. The building according to claim 1, wherein when the blower is in the operating position, the rotating body is rotatable about a rotation axis along the vertical direction.

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